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**The Mott Community College		      Department of Public Safety:		      “Police Work is a Noble Profession”**
 February 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 2

*The COPS Office is pleased to feature the Mott Community College Department of Public Safety as the February 2018 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest. The winning photo features Lieutenant David Livingston tying the shoes of a young boy during a local Halloween event.*

Mott Community College (MCC), located in Flint,  Michigan, serves a transient population of approximately 10,000 students. With  no on-campus dormitories, and seven satellite campuses throughout the state,  students are always coming and going, which makes its public safety efforts so  important.

The Mott Community College Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a  full-service law enforcement agency of 25 sworn officers responsible for  providing public safety support to students, faculty, staff, and visitors of  the community college. Lieutenant David Livingston is one of those sworn  officers. “I retired after 31 years with the City of Troy Police Department and  just wasn’t done giving. I’ve been at Mott for what will be 6 years in April.”

Many of Livingston’s colleagues are also retired officers  who love the profession so much that they have chosen to continue working.  “It’s a wonderful department and everyone gets along great. Because many of us  came from other departments, we know exactly what needs to be done. We’ve all  had the same training and we know what to expect.”

The comradery shared among officers is extended to MCC  students, faculty, and staff as the department aims not only to provide  excellent service to the school, but also to establish positive relationships.  The DPS’s mission statement is “... to prevent crime through collaboration and  cooperation.” To achieve its mission, DPS officers are active and visible on,  and off campus by participating in community-wide events and attending  Neighborhood Watch meetings.

“Chief [Theresa Stephens-Lock] wants us to be out, walking  the campus,” Livingston shared when asked how officers manage public safety  challenges. “You want to get to know the people that you’re serving and you  want them to get to know you. Get out there. Be seen. Be heard. Talk to  people.” Livingston emphasized the importance of having *positive* interactions with the community to help counter some of  the negative portrayals of law enforcement seen in the media. “We’re portrayed  as villains and it’s not like that.”

Livingston loves to help people – it’s his main reason for  becoming an officer 37 years ago. In the winning photo, Livingston (who did not  know the photo was being taken) knelt down to tie a young boy’s shoe during a  DPS-sponsored Halloween party held on the campus. The event provided a safe  haven for children during Halloween, full of fun, games, and food. When  Livingston noticed the little boy walking with his pizza and punch – and an  untied shoelace – he did not think twice about tying it for him. “As a father,  it’s just something that I did.”

That instinct and drive to help others is what keeps  Livingston motivated. His positive energy and cheerful nature likely draws  others to him – and makes his job a bit more fun. He enjoys joking and laughing  with students, and even tries to recruit them whenever possible.

“Police work is a noble profession and I don’t think you  hear that as often as you should,” he said with hopes that more people will  want to become police officers in the future. “I stop people all the time. I’m  always out recruiting. I’m always trying to build the profession.”

While the Flint community struggles to  overcome challenges such as economic hardships and unsafe water conditions,  officers like Livingston can help to provide a sense of stability and safety  that is so important to communities. With a positive attitude and true love for  his profession, Livingston hopes that his impact will help to change public  perception of policing. “We’ve got to get back to being guardians, not  warriors,” he shared. “Police officers – they’re a good bunch.”

The COPS Office congratulates the Mott Community College  Department of Public Safety for being one of the 12 winners of the COPS Office  2018 Community Policing in Action Photo Contest, and for its commitment to  community policing.

*Written with  contributions from Lieutenant David Livingston. Photo courtesy of the Mott  Community College Department of Public Safety. *****

          Najla Haywood          Managing Editor          COPS Office

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